Used To It
by TeamHarry95
Summary: Mike is jumped one night and Harvey is going to find the guys that did it, no matter how much Mike insists on forgetting the whole thing. Sailing the Harvey and Mike friendship for a cute little hurt/comfort/bromance fic. Rated T for mild violence and language. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

A/N - Hope you guys enjoy my very first Suits fic! Not sure how long this will be but I'm hoping to throw some Angsty-Mike and Fatherly-Harvey in there, because I want to fangirl as I write :')

"Mike, go _home. _Eugh, don't come near me, I can't afford to be sick." Harvey didn't glance up from his computer as he typed.

"Harvey, you're so rich you could afford for the whole state to be sick."

"Hey, you don't know how much money I make, so just stop talking and leave." He looked up and arched an eyebrow. "You're as white as…something really, really white."

"Wow, that's a quality simile right there. Look, it's probably just a cold, I'll get over it. I need to stay – I have a really interesting case about-"

"Uh-uh, zip it. You're taking the rest of the night off, end of discussion. Think how badly it would reflect on me if my associate got the whole firm sick?"

Mike deliberated for a moment and then asked, feigning concern, "And you're sure you'll be fine without me for a whole five hours?!"

Harvey gave him a look that said_ seriously?_ _Get real. _"I will be much more than fine, Mike. I will be awesome. You actually hold me back, in fact."

Mike rolled his eyes and picked up his suit jacket from the couch. "Fine. But I'm coming in tomorrow no matter what you say."

Amused, Harvey said, "And since when is it your choice whether or not to listen to me?"

"Since always, you just assume that I actually follow your instructions." Mike turned to leave, with a victorious little smile plastered on his face.

"Oh and one more thing…" The older man said.

Mike turned around with his coat over his shoulder.

"State? Try _country_." Harvey smirked and went back to typing.

Mike laughed and said, "Goodbye, Harvey."

As he walked toward the elevators, he couldn't help but think exactly _how _much Harvey Specter made…

As he approached his apartment, Mike realized that he didn't feel too well after all, and silently thanked Harvey for his order of the night off. It was cold for 7:30 and he was entirely ready to have some tea and sleep in a warm bed.

For some reason, though, Mike's plans never seemed to go accordingly…as he hopped off his bike, someone yanked his brief case off his shoulder and ran into the alley beside his apartment building.

"Hey!" Mike called angrily. He ditched his bike and ran after him. Before he could even realize that the extreme darkness in the alley made it nearly impossible for him to see, Mike was slammed against the brick wall by a pair of strong hands.

His head quickly began to throb and he threw his arms up above his head to protect himself.

"What do you want?" He asked, trying to sound fierce but failing miserably.

There was no response except from another guy, a few metres away – the one who lured Mike into the alley in the first place. "There's nothing in here but a couple of pencils and an apple."

Mike grinned to himself amidst the fear, remembering that he had left all documents, files and even his wallet at Pearson Hardman. He practically lived there anyway. His grin quickly faded as he remembered that he really did not need to chase this thug into a dark alley because of a few pencils and an apple...he mentally kicked himself and then focused on this situation he had gotten himself into.

The guy holding Mike suddenly punched him in the gut and the associate was winded.

"Ahhhhh…damnit," he gasped. "I'm gonna have you both sued for physical assault and harassment-"

"Hey, pretty boy!" A punch to the face this time made Mike cringe in pain. He was then tossed unceremoniously to the ground with a 'thud'. "You really think you're in a position to be making threats right now?!"

Mike closed his eyes and decided that this was indeed a bad time to be making threats. He opened his eyes again and discovered that they had grown accustomed to the dark, so he took a good look at the two men.

The one currently kicking him: approximately 35, 6 ft 2, 200 lbs., short blond hair, a sad excuse for a beard, a tattoo of a…snake? (oh please, there are so many better things to get a tattoo of) on his right forearm and an intimidating, muscular build. Let's call him…Joe.

Mike scrambled to stand up and become less vulnerable to an attack.

Joe saw and, roughly stepping on Mike's chest with one foot to keep him on the ground, turned around to his partner. "Hey, gimme a hand over here if the brief case came up empty."

The second guy: 30, 6 feet, scrawnier, maybe 170 lbs., brown hair, no tattoos, rather clean cut for a tough guy. Let's call him…Matt.

Matt came over and knelt beside Mike, rummaging around in his pockets.

"You're not gonna find anything there so just save yourselves the trouble. Go find a bank to rob because trust me, I'm not as rich as I look."

Matt continued the search anyway, grabbing Mike's expensive-looking watch off his wrist. Joe turned around momentarily to make sure no one was watching this little exchange and Mike seized his opportunity.

He mustered up all the strength he had, already being sick and weak, and punched Matt in the face. The brunette grunted and fell backwards. Mike stood up as Joe turned back around and ran the opposite way as fast as he could. He almost turned the corner back to civilization, when Joe jumped on his back and they both went crashing to the ground.

They exchanged kicks and punches for a bit but Mike soon found himself pinned and exhausted.

"I don't like you very much, kid." Joe slammed his head into the concrete as Mike was thinking, _Yeah well, I'm not too fond of you either._

The lawyer welcomed the darkness that overcame his as Joe punched him one last time, just for good measure.


	2. Chapter 2

"Where is the damn kid, Donna?" Harvey walked out of his office and looked at his watch for the sixth time that morning. It read 10:15. "Who does the hot-shot think he is?"

Donna looked up from her desk and gave a grin. "Well, if you'd like to know my theory…he faked some illness and knew you'd let him off early to avoid getting the whole firm sick, ditched the façade the second he left the building and went out for drinks. He then promptly charmed some desperate bimbo with his memory thing and fancy suit, and went back to his place for some hot, rough-"

"_Thank you_ for your input, Donna, but somehow I don't think he'd do that. He was

genuinely excited about some case he was working on and actually wanted to stay

here last night, the keener. Anyway, I've tried his home phone and cell three times each

and no answer. If he's in some sort of trouble, I'll kick his sorry ass."

Donna furrowed her brow. "Well if he's not here in fifteen minutes, I volunteer to go over to his apartment, yell at him a bit and then drag him out by his hair."

"Nah, you'd go too easy on him." Harvey smirked. "This one I'll handle." Donna huffed and went back to work and Harvey concernedly checked his watch one more time.

"Hey, kid. Kid! Wake up, please wake up. Oh God, don't be dead, I'll never live with myself if I touched a dead body…"

Mike opened his swollen eye and blinked several times at the sudden invading brightness. A chubby, balding man came into view. "You're awake! You hang in there, the ambulance is on the way. Good thing I came in here to spit my gum out in the dumpster or I never would have found you! And Jesus, were you a sight. Still bleedin', I think…"

It didn't take Mike more than a second to remember the previous night's events and he groaned in frustration. He looked down and saw his ripped and dirty suit with big, ugly bruises forming underneath. His brain finally registered his injuries and he seethed in pain. Everything hurt: his ribs, cheek, eye, throat, head…the back of his head was the worst. He touched it gingerly and felt dried blood.

He hated blood.

Trying his hardest not to think about it, Mike took in his surroundings and realized he was awkwardly crammed between two dumpsters, and his cheeks grew hot. This stranger must think he was crazy…

"What happened to ya?" The man inquired. "Your face is all busted."

"I don't remember anything." Mike lied. He didn't want to talk about it.

Getting jumped in an alley was the adult version of getting beat up behind the school playground. Mike was used to it…from elementary right through high school. A young, skinny genius – perfect prey.

The man signed. "Geez, I bet. Hope the guys that did this to ya get put away…"  
Mike nodded but didn't mean it – he didn't want Harvey to know anything about this. He'd probably laugh and ask why Mike didn't pull a Karate Kid move.

Harvey…work…Mike gasped and looked at his wrist. His watch was gone. He swore quietly and asked the stranger for the time.

"Sure, 10:17."

Groaning again, Mike tried to stand up as he heard sirens in the distance. Harvey was gonna kill him.

"Woah there, son. You look like you went a round with Mike Tyson…I'd just sit back down if I was you."

"Look," Mike said. "thanks for your help, but you're not me. You don't have an anal boss waiting to kick your ass for showing up at his law firm over an hour late."

"Well, if this guy doesn't cut you some slack after _this, _then I've lost all faith in humanity."

The associate offered a small smile. "You haven't met Harvey Specter." After taking a few steps, Mike's vision clouded and he stumbled. It was hard to breathe; he feared that he was going to pass out again. The man rushed to his side and held him under the arms, just as the ambulance pulled up to the alley.

"I don't think I want to, kid…" The older man motioned the medics over to where he was sitting with the nearly unconscious lawyer. "Hey, what's your name?"

Mike looked up at him, breathing heavily. "Mike Ross. Yours?"

"Andy Harrison. I really, really hope they find who did this to you."

"Thanks, Andy." Mike gave one last smile and slipped back into unconsciousness.

"Okay, that's it." Harvey pulled on his suit jacket and stalked out of his office. The clock had hit 10:30 one second earlier and he needed to find Mike. Not like he really cared about the associate's well-being, but the two were supposed to be going to meet a shy, female client and get her to sign a deal. Mike was always better at winning over the shy ones.

Donna said a quick "Call me." to the passing lawyer and he nodded once without looking back.

Ray was already waiting out front. "We do not abide by any traffic laws today, Ray, understand? This is rather urgent." Ray nodded in the rear-view mirror and sped away toward Mike's apartment. Five minutes later, and one block away from Mike's apartment, an ambulance went speeding by and Harvey couldn't suppress the worry growing in his mind.

He hated that worry, to be honest. Things were fine when he didn't need to worry about anyone but himself. But then Mike came along and was seemingly cursed with bad luck. The kid also had next to no one to worry about him…

"Step on it, Ray." They pulled up beside the apartment a moment later and Harvey jumped out. Right away, he knew something was wrong. Mike's bike lay flat beside the building. That bike was his pride and joy; no way would he just leave it out for someone to steal. Out of the corner of his eye, Harvey saw something black and peered into the alley. Mike's briefcase was laying wide open, it's contents laying around it. He didn't need any more proof, he ran back to the car and said, "Follow that ambulance."

Trying extremely hard to not think of all the horrible possibilities, Harvey rushed into Emergency and went straight to the front desk. "I need to see Mike Ross."

The nurse replied. "One moment, please." The moment seemed to last an eternity. "He's not allowed any visitors right now, what is your relation?"

"I'm his brother."

"Alright, Mr. Ross, I'll see what I can do. Please have a seat."

Harvey didn't sit but paced back and forth until the nurse came back a few minutes later. "Follow me."

And that was the first time Harvey Specter truly followed someone else's orders.


	3. Chapter 3

_Harvey ran through the dark alley as fast as his feet would carry him. He knew Mike was in here somewhere…he heard the kid scream. The alley seemed to stretch for kilometers. Why was it so goddamn dark? He finally found Mike lying on the ground, unconscious. A dark figure was looming above him, with a fist in the air. But Harvey couldn't move. It was like he had been glued to the ground, five meters away from his associate. He couldn't even reach into his pocket to grab his phone and call for help. Then Mike opened his eyes and said, "Harvey! What are you doing? Come help me! Why did you make me leave the office early tonight? You could have prevented this from happening to me if you had just let me stay…This is all your fault!" Then the man punched him again and Harvey was being dragged out of the alley, against his will. "Noooo!" He yelled, finally finding his voice. And it echoed as he moved further and further away from Mike…._

Harvey jolted awake so violently that he nearly tipped the chair he had been sleeping on over. He stabled himself and then scoffed at his stupid, over-dramatic, slow-motion dream. Embarrassed to even be thinking about something so ridiculous (albeit, in his sleep), he rubbed his hands tiredly over his face and looked up.

What he saw made his heart drop, just a tiny bit.

So it wasn't entirely just a dream. Mike Ross lay in the hospital bed looking much like he'd partaken in and lost a rumble with the Greasers against the Socs.

He had a swollen eye and cut lip but Harvey was more concerned about the internal injuries. And the emotional ones…but he'd donate all his suits to charity before admitting that to his associate. Harvey stood up and put his hands in his pockets, tilting his head and taking in how much younger Mike looked tucked into the bed. He then remembered his dream, and thought deeply. The whole thing was just an accident. It could have happened to anyone. Just an unfortunate mugging and Mike would get over it quickly. Any senior partner would tell his sick associate to take the night off, right? It wasn't Harvey _or _Mike's fault, so why was there a tugging at Harvey's heart and the weight of guilt in his stomach every time he glanced at this broken kid?

He looked away and shook his head, trying to rid his mind of these - what were they called again? Oh yeah, emotions.

Harvey wanted to know what sort of state the younger man was in (only to know when he'd be able to start working again, of course) so he stepped out of the room to find a doctor.

* * *

Mike woke up before he opened his eyes. He knew where he was because of the smell. Hospitals had the most distinct smell and he had spent more than enough time with Grammy in them in the past. He didn't want to open his eyes in case someone was in the room with him. Talking about his current situation was not exactly what he felt like doing at the moment. Cursed with that eidetic memory of his, and for a lack of anything much better to do, he replayed the attack over and over in his head.

_Something was strange about that night_, he thought. _-stranger than having two guys mug you in an alley, I mean_. This was something that he couldn't place his finger on…and it absolutely tortured him. He was supposed to be able to remember everything! He went through the events again - guy stole briefcase, guy #2 held him against the wall and punched him, the same guy then punched his face and tossed him to the ground-

Just as Mike was about to recall the exact physical appearance of both attackers, Harvey Specter walked into the room.

"Ah, sleeping beauty awakes at last."

Mike gave a little 'humph'. "How long was I out for?"

"It's gotta be about…a month, now."

"What?!" Mike frantically searched for an indicator of the date. When he found the digital clock on the bedside table, he slammed it down and glared at Harvey. "It's been two days."

Harvey grinned nonchalantly and then frowned. "Well it feels like a month. The coffee here tastes like shit and the sleeping arrangements are…non-existent." He motioned to the metal chair he had dozed off in earlier.

"Wait…did you spend the night here?" Mike asked with amusement and disbelief in his eyes.

Harvey didn't skip a beat before avoiding the question with, "I just talked to your doctor. He says you have a broken rib and a concussion. You'd better tell me what the hell happened last night."

Mike looked down and shook his head. "It was nothing. Just two random guys who mugged me in the alley. It was kind of funny actually, they wanted money but all I had on me were pencils and an apple. Well, they took my watch too, but it could've been worse."

_It could've been a lot better, too. _Harvey thought, as he took a seat. "How many guys?"

"Two."

"Were they big?"

"Bigger than me. But isn't everyone?" He laughed dryly.

Harvey half-smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine." He lied. The aches were even worse now than they had been when he woke up in the alley. The back of his head was absolutely throbbing among other aches and stings. And for being asleep so long, he was surprisingly tired.

"No you aren't. How could someone who looks like you right now feel fine?" Harvey gave one of those stares where it felt like he was piercing your soul and reading your mind at the same time.

"I'm tougher than you think, Harvey. It's not like I didn't hold my own, you know. I left some marks on them too."

"Nah, I bet you ran like a girl." The older man smirked slightly, trying to lighten the conversation. He hoped with all his might that Mike didn't sustain those injuries by trying to box with the guys…

Mike rolled his eyes but hoped that Harvey didn't see the faint blush that touched his cheeks. "I bet you would've ran…" he muttered, rather childishly.

Harvey pretended not to hear him. "So you don't know who did it?"

Mike shook his head. "But there's something weird about that night that I can't place…" He closed his eyes again. He saw the two men and mentally recited their features. Something clicked so he kept repeating the information. 30, 170 lbs., brown hair, clean cut, 30, 170 lbs., brown hair, clean cut, 30-

He watched the second guy over and over in his mind. It was something about _him_ that was bugging Mike so much. What _was _it?!

"Well I'm glad you're not dead." _Thank God you're alive. _"Donna would've been be a wreck." Harvey said, trying to bring the kid back from whatever he was remembering. His scrunched up face and fisted hands were concerning the senior partner.

And then it hit Mike like a ton of bricks.

"It's Oliver Reid, from my elementary school! He's the guy who took my briefcase and ran into the alley…" Mike actually laughed in relief that he had finally figured it out.

Harvey made a mental note of the name. He would deal with that later.

"Wait, let me get this straight. You followed this guy into a dark alley at night, because he took your briefcase? Which contained an apple and some pencils?! Jesus, kid…" Harvey ran a hand through his perfectly gelled hair in bewilderment. How was Mike so incredibly smart, yet unbelievably stupid at the same time?!

"Well, yeah. I had forgotten, in the moment, that my briefcase had nothing valuable in it. It's the principle of the matter - you chase a guy if he steals from you." Mike shrugged, trying to make his decision to follow Oliver sound less irrational.

Harvey shook his head but continued. "So you know this Oliver guy?"

"Yeah, he was three years above me in elementary school. We, uh, had little to no interaction."  
Harvey arched an eyebrow. "What interaction_ did _you have?"

Mike sighed and slumped back into his bed. "C'mon, Harvey. I was a skinny, glasses-wearing, genius throughout school. I had my fair share of bullies."

As Harvey was about to demand to know everything this Oliver guy had ever done to Mike, the doctor entered the room.

"Hi Mr. Ross, glad to see you're awake." The tall man smiled warmly and then looked at Harvey. "And you must be his brother."

Mike looked wildly at Harvey and almost burst out laughing.

"Would you mind giving Michael and I a few minutes? I am just doing a check-up to make sure things are healing as they should."

Harvey nodded. "Of course." Before he turned to leave he looked at Mike with warning eyes and drew his hand across his throat. _Not a word, or you're dead._

Mike bit his lip, but his eyes were laughing, as the doctor moved the sheet halfway down and revealed Mike's abdomen. Harvey saw an enormous purple and black bruise covering half of the kid's skinny stomach, and he flinched before closing the door. Clenching his fists, Harvey decided right then and there that he would get revenge. Oliver wouldn't know what hit him.


	4. Chapter 4

"I'm telling you, Pete, it was him. He had the same eyes and hair that he had in the third grade…"

"Relax, Oli. What are the chances? Even if you're right, it was pitch black…there's no way he recognized you." The taller man told his half-brother.

"You never knew the guy. Had an eidetic memory. I bet he's real high up in the food chain now and knows lots of successful people…Pete, this could ruin us! Why did we have to choose _him_?!"

Peter placed an ice pack on his sore knuckles and grunted. "He was so small, I didn't expect him to fight back. And I can't believe with that fancy suit that he wasn't loaded! Friggin' waste of our time."

Oliver stood up and paced nervously. "Shit, man. I don't want to go to jail. I never wanted any of this!"

"If you're that scared, eliminate the threat." The older man shrugged.

Oliver stopped pacing and looked at Peter with incredulous eyes. "…What do you mean, 'eliminate'?"

The doctor exited Mike's room and found Harvey sitting on a chair in the hall. He smiled and walked over. "Your brother is going to be fine. He is healing as well as can be expected and should be out of here in three or four days."

Harvey shook the man's hand and thanked him before returning to Mike's room.

"Did the Doc give you the good news?" He asked as he closed the door behind him.

Mike frowned. "Three or four days?! Those 72 to 96 hours are gonna take for_ever _to pass." He groaned and threw the sheets over his head, much like a child.

Harvey walked over to the bed and pulled the sheets off, to reveal a very annoyed looking Mike.

"Very mature, Mike."

The associate rolled his eyes but sat up again. "I'm sorry, I just hate hospitals."

"And why is that?"

"You wouldn't care." Mike dramatically sniffed, pretended to wipe a tear and then began to laugh. "Anyway, there are more pressing matters here, like why the doctor seems to think that you're my brother…" He waited in amusement for a response.

Harvey rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm not telling you until we talk about Oliver and what he did to you." His voice had the air of authority.

Mike didn't try to hide his distaste at this idea. "I'd really rather not." His voice had the slightest hint of desperation in its tone.

"Mike, I need to know."

"Why?" The man on the bed pleaded. "I don't want to take this thing any further; trust me, it was just a harmless exchange and I'm going to be _fine. _I don't want you to get all worked up about it… "

"Hey, I am _not _getting worked up about this." Harvey defended himself. "But it was definitely more than harmless. Look at the state you're in, kid! Bruises covering everything. Just tell me what happened at school with Oliver and I promise I'll drop the whole mugging fiasco."

Mike raised an eyebrow. "Promise? As in, promise you won't ask me any more questions about it, file a law suit against Oliver, force me to have extra security, treat me any differently at work…" Mike thought for a moment before adding, "or make fun of me for the bullying when I was a kid?"

"How could you even suggest that? I'd never make fun of you, pup." Mike glared but Harvey continued. "Yes, I promise." But like any good lawyer, Harvey had found a loophole in this contract.

He was going to make those bastards pay. And not in the literal sense.

"Now start talking."

"Fine." Mike made himself more comfortable on the bed and took a breath.

"_Hey, Ross!" The most popular guy in school, Oliver Reid, was tall, dark, athletic, handsome and feared among most. At the very top of 'these most' was small, skinny, wildly intelligent, glasses-wearing loner named Mike Ross, whom Oliver happened to be approaching right at that moment, flanked by three of his cronies. "Whatcha reading there, four-eyes?" _

_Even the incredibly lame remark made Mike blush. He tried to stuff the book, "The Gulag Archipelago" into his backpack, but to no avail. _

"Trust me, the group of seventh graders looked way scarier back then than they do now, in my memory…" Mike said. He didn't know why he really wanted to give his boss all the little details. Wouldn't he rather just give the facts straight and get this ordeal over with? But Mike had never told anyone this story. And here was Harvey, willing to listen…he pushed the strange thought away, cleared his throat and continued.

_Oliver snatched the book from the ten year old and looked at the cover. "What the hell? You really are a freak, you know that? I've seen you with that memory thing. It always impresses the teachers. Tell you what, impress us here," he motioned to his buddies behind him. "and we'll let you go. Don't impress us, and we get to beat you to a pulp." Mike leaned as far back into the fence as he could, hating these boys. Oliver smiled evilly and flipped the book open to a random page. "What's on page 97?" Mike closed his eyes, took a deep breath and recited, word-for-word: _"Most contributors writing in the samizdat literature did not advocate the overthrow of the Soviet system. Their views were meant to remind their leaders that the task of socialism was far from finished-" _Oliver snapped the book shut. "Impressive." Mike sighed with relief and relaxed his extremely tense shoulders. The older boy suddenly threw the book as far as he could and it skidded across the pavement. Mike watched with wide and fearful eyes. "But we don't care, do we boys?" The flanks jeered and shook their heads. "We're gonna beat you up anyway for being a smart-assed genius." Mike wasted no time in bolting from the fence. Almost reaching the corner back to civilization, one of the guys jumped on top of him and they both tumbled to the ground. It was a chaotic wrestling match for a while until Mike was finally pinned to the concrete. "Thought you could outrun us?" Oliver breathed. "Think again, pretty boy." Punch after punch to the face, gut, arms, everywhere really, led black spots into Mike's vision. One of the boys emptied the contents of his backpack and grabbed what he wanted. Mike tried to calculate the rate at which the clouds were moving, but it soon became very hard to see. The last thing he heard before blacking out was yelling, running feet, and a gentle _"You'll be okay, kiddo, hang in there."

"And that's when my hatred for hospitals began. It was scarily like the attack two nights ago. But I guess that that's the way Oliver operates." Mike's sad eyes found Harvey's equally sad face, then he shrugged and looked into his lap. "I'm used to it."

Harvey closed his eyes and sighed. "No kid should have to endure that. I'm…sorry."

"It's okay. It was the only time he put me in the hospital. Before that, it had been a few punches or shoving or just threats. Dunno what changed…"

Harvey leaned forward in his chair. "Did he ever do it again?"

"Nah, he finally got caught. Took the teachers long enough…" Mike kept his eyes down, avoiding Harvey's. He looked uncomfortable, so the older man asked a lighter question.

"Did you ever get your book back?"

The kid looked up and furrowed his brow. "No, actually, and I've been meaning to finish it. I forgot to mention, I had been on page 98 when Oliver came up. Thank God he chose 97...probably would've been worse if I didn't have anything to say."

Harvey half-grinned and said, "Maybe not. They beat you up for being a genius, didn't they?"

Mike half-grinned back. "Yeah, I guess there was no way out." A silence ensued but it wasn't terribly awkward. "Thanks, by the way, for forcing me to tell you. It feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders."

_Don't thank me 'til I've fixed it. _"You're welcome, then. I have to go make a call outside and I'll get a nurse to bring you some food. You are way too skinny."

"No, Harvey, hospital food is gross!" Mike whined, back to his normal self. "I'd rather eat my hand."

"Fine, as long as you're eating." Harvey smirked. "Look, if you stop complaining about everything, I'll get us take-out."

Mike's face lit up. "Oh and one more thing…"

Harvey turned around with his hand on the doorknob. "You never told me why you told them that you were my brother…" Mike voice was teasing but genuine at the same time.

Harvey rolled his eyes. "I'll see you in an hour, junior."

And he closed the door after him, leaving both men to interpret the deflection.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N – Here's the fifth chapter, everyone! Some fun Harvey/Donna friendship in this one, and I apologize in advance for the cliff hanger. I do love to keep my readers on edge and anticipated…hope this chap satisfies! Love you all, thanks for the great reviews and happy reading! **

The moment he left Mike's room, Harvey speed-dialed Donna. She answered before he even heard it ring. "What's up? How's Mike? I want to see him. I can't believe Jessica is making me stay here because 'Mike is probably in shock and needs some peace and quiet'-" Donna's impression of the Managing Partner was flawless. "-like seriously, have I ever been anything _but_ peaceful and quiet in this damn office?!" As her voice escalated (ironically) to a yell, Harvey interrupted.

"Donna, calm down. I'll give you answers: My blood pressure is up, Mike is doing well and yes, in fact you are _never_ peaceful or quiet in that damn office." Each person felt the other one smirk through the phone and the lawyer continued. "Listen, since you're probably suffocating from freedom without me at the firm, I've come up with something you can do for me."

"Anything." Donna perked up in her swivel chair, desperate for some work.

"I'm gonna hold you to that later." Harvey quipped smugly. His secretary laughed and rolled her eyes at the empty threat.

"I need you to do a little re-con work."

"Ooh, my favourite. Who's the target?"

"An Oliver Reid." Harvey frowned at the name as he headed to his parked car.

"Your voice just got all angry and resentful…What's your beef with this guy?"

"Not mine, Mike's." Harvey straightened her out. "He's one of the two guys that jumped him."

Donna pursed her lips in thought. "There's more to him than that…let me guess, he was from Mike's past, a tough-guy, who didn't like that Mike got all the attention for being so smart at school so he beat the kid up a few times, but then it went too far…"

Harvey arched an eyebrow as he hopped in the car and slammed the door. "How can you possibly know all that from 'He's one of the two guys that jumped him'?"

"I'm gifted."

"You cheated."

She gasped. "I would never!"

"You so would."

"Fine," Donna admitted defeat. "I already had everything pulled up on him. Sounds like a real jack-ass. He attended James T. Caldwell Elementary, was captain of the lacrosse team but was failing most classes, got expelled for bullying, that caused a boy to be put in hospital, in grade 7 and moved to English Bluff Academy for the last three months of the year. Never went to college or university and now works at a linen store in Scarsdale…but I'm still gifted and you know it."

"Gifted enough to get Oliver's current address for your favourite lawyer?"

"But of course." Donna typed away rapidly. "And you're not just my favourite lawyer, you're my favourite person. Ever."

Harvey rolled his eyes. "What do you want?"

She grinned. "To see Mike. That's all! Just for a little bit. And if you need more incentive than my pouty face that I'm wearing right now, you know the one…" Harvey knew the exact one. "…I'll bring take-out." She raised her eyebrows and awaited the answer, even though she knew he would say yes.

"Fine. But it's because of the food, not the face." He lied.

"You're lying." Donna said smoothly. "I've got your address."

Harvey waited. When she didn't say anything, he asked. "Well? What is it?"

Donna bit her lip. "It's my duty to make sure you're not going to do anything stupid, first."

"Oh please-" Harvey tried to say but she kept going with a firm, do-not-interrupt-me voice.

"I've seen the way you treat Mike. Anyone who didn't know better would think you were his older brother. If someone hurt _my_ little brother, I'd probably kill him with my bare hands. And this Oliver guy not only jumped Mike the other night, but has bullied him since they were kids…yeah, okay, I want to kick his ass too, but this isn't your beef to deal with, Harvey. You do _not _want to lose your job because of one bad judgment. You go, I go, and you couldn't stand to have that on your conscience, could you?"

Harvey wanted to tell her the truth. That he had the wrong intentions going to this place and things would most likely get out of hand, but he didn't want Donna to worry, and he couldn't risk Jessica or Louis finding out. This was the only way he would feel that the situation was dealt with and no one had to know about it. Not even Mike. "I don't _have_ a conscience, Donna. And thank you for the lecture, but I'm just going to get the facts and file a suit, okay? Don't worry. Your job is most certainly not in jeopardy. …Unless you don't give me the address." Harvey tried to sound threatening, but it was almost impossible when talking to Donna.

"Good boy. That's all I needed to hear. It's 575 Berkeley Road. I sent it to your GPS and flagged all the nearest Starbucks' in case you need a coffee after this."

"What would I do without you?" Harvey said, exasperated by the thought of life without Donna.

"You'd be entirely lost. Now go sue the shit outta this guy."

"With pleasure. Oh and tell Jessica that I need you here for…moral support, if she doesn't just let you leave."

"Ooh, lying to the Managing Partner, how exciting."

_It's not really a lie. _Harvey thought. "You've done worse."

Donna grinned but ignored the remark. "I'll be there in half an hour."

"See you then. And don't forget the take-out." Harvey said with a little smile and hung up. He felt bad not telling Donna the truth.

Then he remembered that she was inevitably going to find out sooner or later, and that put his mind at ease. He would have some time to prepare for her scolding and then she would forgive him, because she wanted the guy's ass to get kicked as well.

His thoughts returned to Oliver and his mind swarmed with images of a hurt, bleeding Mike. His chest ached with the need for revenge and a hatred for this man. Forgetting the conversation he had just had with Donna and the guilt that came afterward, Harvey revved the engine and sped off towards the address. He looked cool as a cucumber on the outside but was fired up and conscienceless, a deadly combination, on the inside.

* * *

Half an hour later, Donna entered Mike's hospital room.

"God, you look awful!" were the first words that left her lips once she laid eyes on the associate. They sounded sarcastic but were true; Mike looked even paler because of the dull yellow gown and sheets, and his face was still sporting a big bruise.

"Nice to see you too, Donna." Mike gave a little laugh, happy to see her. She looked at him sadly and she hated Oliver Reid more than ever. Emotions getting the best of her, she rushed over to the bed and gave him a peck on the forehead. He blushed, ever so slightly, and she pulled back and set her purse down on the bedside table. "So what's the damage?"

"A minor concussion and a broken rib, nothing too bad." It was strange for Mike to have so many people caring about him. He decided he didn't really like the attention.

"Sounds pretty bad to me." She looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"I'll recover." He gave the impression that he didn't want to talk about it anymore, so Donna changed the subject.

"How's the service? Anyone I need to scare into treating you better?" She looked hopeful.

He laughed and said, "Nah, sorry. They're good, I just don't like hospitals…can't wait to get out of here."

"Well I brought some food to make you feel better. I swear, hospital food just makes you sicker."

She sat down on the edge of Mike's bed and dished out the Chinese food onto three Styrofoam plates.

"Mmm, thank you Donna, this smells amazing."

"Forget it. I'd do anything to get rid of the stupid latex/sanitizer/cotton smell in here."

Mike nodded in agreement. "_Tell_ me about it."

They happily ate in silence for a while and then Mike asked, "Where's Harvey? He said he was bringing the food."

"He's a busy man...had some business to attend to." Somehow Donna felt that Mike wouldn't want Harvey to file a suit. Mike just seemed to want to forget the whole thing. He was a good kid, but he didn't know when and how to defend himself. That's what Harvey was there for.

Just as Mike was about to inquire further, the man of the hour walked through the door.

"Smells amazing, where's mine?"

Donna could tell that things hadn't gone as planned. The lawyer had a "this wasn't over yet" look in his eyes, and his fists were clenched in his pockets. She decided she would ask about it later, when Mike wasn't around.

"What were you up to, Harvey?" Mike asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

"None of your business, kiddo." Harvey sat down and immediately stuffed his mouth with noodles.

The younger man narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "You _do _remember what you promised, right? I really, really don't want to make a big deal out of this."

Donna's assumptions were right, so she intervened. "Mike, you can make a lot of money from suing him, so why not do it? Getting money is awesome. And Oliver's an asshole who deserves more than just being sued."

Mike looked up at Harvey, embarrassed. "What, did you tell everyone?"

"It's Donna, she was going to find out no matter what."

Donna smiled proudly at her legacy.

Mike contemplated this for a moment and then decided, "True. But why won't you tell me where you just were?"

"Since when are you privy to all my business, hmm? That's right, never, and I'm going to keep it that way." Harvey saw the doubtful/annoyed look flash across Mike's face and added, "Don't worry, I just had to talk to a witness from another case but he wasn't home." Donna a knowing, understanding look. "It doesn't break our little deal. As stupid as it was…" he muttered the last part under his breath.

"I heard that. And it wasn't stupid. There's nothing I want to do more than forget it all, and it's hard enough for me to forget on my own with this stupid memory so can we please stop talking about it?" Mike looked back and forth between the two people exasperatedly.

Donna looked at Harvey with an arched eyebrow and Harvey nodded slowly. "Sure, kid, if that's what you really want. But you have to do something for me, in return."

Mike rolled his eyes, but would secretly do anything to get them to abide by his wishes.

"Stop whining and eat your food, for crying out loud. You're a frickin' toothpick."

* * *

_The next day - _Oliver came up to the door of the apartment, preparing to kick down the door. This wasn't his style - he was no murderer - but he didn't know whether or not the kid would talk. If he did, it was his life on the line, and he couldn't afford the risk. After regrettably taking Pete's advice, he was here to do the thing that guaranteed shutting Mike Ross up for good.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Mike's P.O.V.**_

I sat on my hospital bed, hating this place more than ever. It had been three days since I had been admitted, but on account of my "good behavior" (completely faked, of course) and rapid healing, I was being discharged today. The only condition the doctors had was that I have someone else collect me and stay overnight at my apartment. After declining politely to this request, I was told that I then must stay for at least another night at the hospital so they could look out for me.

Hating both options, I begrudgingly settled on the first.

Yesterday, an old man who never stopped snoring, even when he was awake, had moved with me in my room. It was a large room and we each had enough space and all, but I didn't get one hour of sleep that night. And he insisted on watching TV whenever he was awake, at a volume that I was sure would do permanent damage to my ears.

But who would come get me? Not Trevor, after finding out about Jenny and me, and then getting into a physical fight with him. Not Jenny, after she found out about the kiss and then I left her for Rachel. Certainly not Rachel, after seeing me with Tess in my apartment that day. And there was no way I would be associating myself with Tess, married Tess, again. Ever.

Damn, I needed to sort my life out.

The doctor had recommended my "brother", who had seemed "very concerned about [my] wellbeing and curious as to how he could help speed up the recovery". I had actually laughed out loud at that point, because this man obviously didn't know Harvey Specter at all. (Well, clearly; they all thought he was my older, caring brother. …Sheesh.)

I rolled my eyes and groaned, committing myself to the only option I had left: call Harvey. And then probably face endless humiliating comments from the associates at the firm, because they would all find out one way or another.

Maybe Harold would still be nice to me. But that was it.

I was actually a little bit scared to pick up my cell phone and dial his number. Deep down I knew it was because of my desperation to get out of here and the strong possibility of Harvey refusing.

Well, it was worth a shot.

* * *

_**Third Person P.O.V.**_

"So Oliver wasn't home when you tried the house?" Donna sat on the edge of Harvey's office couch with her legs crossed.

"No. But I'm gonna try again the next chance I get." Harvey clenched his jaw and walked to his window.

"Don't worry, it'll be just as satisfying whether it's today or tomorrow or next month."

Harvey didn't say anything, so Donna said, "And whenever it is, make sure to hide your bruised knuckles when you return to work afterwards."

He spun around and gave her a curious look. Then he shook his head in wonder at the know-it-all look that appeared on her face. "I'm not even gonna ask how-"

"Don't bother, I won't tell you." She smiled for a moment and then it faded. "But I'm serious, Harvey, and you know how rarely I get serious. You'd better cover every single one of your tracks, or you'll look worse than Oliver when I am finished with you."

"What do you think I am, a rookie?!" He smirked. She looked doubtful, so he added: "I'll be careful, you have nothing to worry about." Then he muttered: "I'm Harvey Specter, for God's sake."

"I heard that." Donna said, a little less serious now. "And don't think I'm okay with any of this."

Harvey was about to reply with, "Oh you totally are." but his phone rang on his desk.

He took three large strides and picked it up, checking the caller ID.

"Mike, what's wrong?" Harvey answered after the first ring. Donna hid her smile at the urgency in the lawyer's tone.

"Oh, hey Harvey. Um, nothing's wrong, just letting you know I'm being released from prison today. My sentence got cut short."

"On account of…?"

"Good behavior." Mike snorted. "Plus I'm practically fully recovered.""About time." Harvey turned away from Donna to hide the relief that washed over his face. He knew Mike was going to get better sooner or later, but sooner sounded better to him. That guilty feeling in the back of his mind was slowly slipping away, and the kid was going to be fine in no time…right?

"I…I had to work on two pro bono cases while you were away." Harvey was going to say "I need you here", but he bit his tongue and held it back. Didn't want anything going to the kid's head, now. "And you've got a towering pile of files on your desk eagerly awaiting your return."

"Oh wow, I can't wait." It sounded sarcastic, but to Mike's ears, anything other than hospital gowns, snores and deafening TV sounded like paradise right now.

"I don't appreciate your sass. And are you going to tell me why you keep using that 'you're-not-gonna-like-this-but-I-have-to-tell-you' tone?" Harvey furrowed his brow.

Mike squirmed a little on his sorry excuse for a bed. "Well, the doctors have one condition if I'm going to leave today…"

"Which is…?"

"I need someone to pick me up and sleep at my place tonight." Mike said uncomfortably.

"That's not so bad. Who is it gonna be?"

An awkward silence followed, then Mike finally said, "Er-I was hoping you might be able to…?"

And then it hit Harvey. Mike had no one else. His parents were dead, his grandmother had just passed away and his friends were messed up or had turned their backs on him. It was so strange to think of a kid who had no acquaintances closer than his new boss…yet Harvey was the one the kid had called. Someone he wanted help and advice from. Did Mike really think of he, Harvey, as a mentor? A friend? A brot-?

"Harvey? You still there?"

"What? Oh, yeah." Harvey snapped back to the present and saw Donna, wearing the look of a mother watching her two young boys play nicely together.

"So…do you have an answer? It's fine if you don't want to, I can find someone else, it was kind of a stupid idea to call you in the first place, it's honestly no bid deal, I don't know whyIthoughtyouwouldsayyestos omethingsoridiculousandnowI feellikeabigidiot-"

"Mike, Mike, stop rambling. I don't think you've taken a breath during this whole conversation."

When Mike didn't reply, Harvey said, "Fine, I'll do it. But you owe me big time, kid."

"I'll do anything." he murmured in spite of his awe and belief that Harvey had actually agreed. He stood up and grabbed his folded clothes off the chair, while still on the phone, all too eager to get out of this hell-hole.

"I'm gonna hold you to that later." The older man smirked, recalling his previous day's phone conversation with Donna and saying those exact words. "I'll see you in twenty minutes."

"Thank you, Harvey. You don't know how much-"

"Yeah, yeah, don't get all mushy on me." And the dial tone beeped.

With the biggest smile he had worn in four days, Mike put his phone down and changed.

Harvey pocketed his cell phone and looked up at Donna, and his worst suspicions were confirmed.

She actually had _tears _in her eyes.

"Donna-" he looked at her with a _get over it _expression.

She sniffed and said, "I'm sorry, it's just…you two are getting along so _nicely _and he looks up to you ever second of every d-day…" Then she began to cry and excused herself from the room, claiming that she needed to pee.

Harvey was left alone in confusion, wondering why Donna had been so touched. All he was doing was picking Mike up and making sure he healed well over night! It wasn't mushy. This wasn't a friendship or anything.

_Wom_en, huh?

* * *

Exactly twenty minutes later, Harvey arrived at the hospital waiting room.

Mike was bouncing like a five year old on his birthday, waiting to open gifts. "Harvey, I have never been so happy to see you."

"Well remember how it feels then, because you're not going to feel it again." His voice hinted at the slightest bit of amusement, but his face stayed impassive. "Let's go."

As they walked to the car, Mike said, "Just before you came, I told the nurse at the front desk to update the hospital's security policies. Turns out they let anybody walk through those doors and visit people, even if they're claiming to be someone else…" Mike smirked slightly and Harvey, shrugging, went along with it. "Wow, they'd better do something about that."

"I brought you something." Harvey said as he closed the apartment door behind him.

Mike looked up curiously as he poured himself a glass of water. "And what would that be?"

Harvey raised his eyebrows. "I'm not going to give it to you unless you cooperate and do what I tell you to."

"Nice," Mike replied. "but I'm not a child, the bribing isn't going to work."

"Fair enough, but _this_ bribe will work: if you don't behave, I'll call your doctor and send you back to the hospital."

Mike drank his water and glared at Harvey over the rim of the glass. He swallowed and said, "You're cruel."

"I'm just playing my hand. And right now, I've got pocket rockets and you've got a two and seven off-suit."

Mike groaned, flopped down on the couch and closed his eyes. "I hate poker."

The certified lawyer smiled triumphantly. "I know. That's why this is so much fun."

Mike scowled. "Well, make yourself at home, then. Even though this is a dump compared to your home."

Harvey sat, very distinguished-like on the chair perpendicular to the couch. "This is a dump compared to a literal dump, but I will try my hardest not to snivel." He put his feet up and reached for the remote.

"Ugh, please, no TV." Mike said, without opening his eyes. "The old guy in my room always kept it blaring and that is the last thing I want to think about right now."

"Why don't you sleep in your bed, then, like a normal person? And I can watch TV. It's called a compromise, look it up." Harvey joked. "_And_ it would be more comfortable for your injuries."

When Mike didn't respond, he added the incentive of turning on the TV because he really thought it would be healthier for the kid to pass out on the bed, rather than awkwardly curled up on his side here.

With no protests or whining coming from the couch, Harvey peered over and rolled his eyes.

Mike was already sound asleep.

Harvey sighed and looked at the clock: 11:03 a.m. _I bet he's exhausted _Harvey thought. He removed his suit jacket, loosened his tie and slumped back in the chair. Before he knew it, he was out too.

* * *

An obnoxiously loud _CRASH jolted both lawyers awake and into a frenzied sitting position. _

_Oliver Reid had knocked the door down and was pointing a gun at Mike. _

"_You, stand up. S-stand up and close your eyes, right now." _

_Harvey and Mike looked at each other, both eyes wide in terror. Not knowing what else to do, Mike gulped and slowly stood up, placing his shaking hands into the air._


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N - Hello again! I feel terrible that I took so long to update this story; grade 12 is proving to have a huge work load and then I had to nanny my little cousins for a week and then I went to Oregon for a Shakespeare Festival…ANYWAYS, enough about me! Lots of protective!Harvey and scared!Mike in this one. I once again apologize in advance for the cliffhanger, but I promise the next chap will be up either tomorrow or the next day. Love you all, happy reading!**

_An obnoxiously loud CRASH jolted both lawyers awake and into a frenzied sitting position._

_Oliver Reid had knocked the door down and was pointing a gun at Mike._

_"You, stand up. S-stand up and close your eyes, right now."_

_Harvey and Mike looked at each other, both set of eyes wide in terror. Not knowing what else to do, Mike gulped and slowly stood up, placing his shaking hands into the air._

"Oliver…" Mike said slowly, softly. "Oliver, you need to put the gun down. It doesn't have to be like this."

Oliver ran his left hand through his short brown hair, obviously panicky. "Yes, it does! Or else, you're gonna report me and…and I'll go to prison, and my whole life will be ruined…why did it have to be _you_, the guy who remembers everything?!"

"So, you're the one who jumped Mike?" Harvey interrupted. He asked as though he didn't already know, trying to sound curious rather than threatening. He stood up slowly and put his hands in the air, copying Mike, who glanced at him confusedly and then snapped his attention back to the threat.

"Who are you?" Oliver's voice became higher with nerves and he aimed the gun at Harvey, whom he hadn't even noticed until now. He had hoped Mike would be alone. Another person meant an eye-witness, another threat, another person he had to kill…

"I'm Mike's brother." Harvey lied smoothly. Seeing the doubtful look on the other man's face, he added, "You didn't even know I existed, huh?"

Oliver shook his head rapidly.

Harvey knew it was a long shot, but right now with their black pants, un-tucked white dress shirts, messy hair, tired faces and raised hands, he and Mike easily could have been brothers.

"I was home-schooled. A trouble maker, you could say, so our parents never really let me out to play with other kids. Plus, if I had gone to your school, I would've gotten shown up by the little genius everyday." He gave a _you-know-what-I-mean? _look and cocked his head in Mike's direction.

The gunman looked back and forth between Mike and Harvey frantically, trying to figure out why the older man was telling him a story and whether or not it was a lie.

"Now, my little brother here tells me absolutely everything. Like, for example, did you know he's still a virgin?" Harvey raised his eyebrows, looked at Mike and shrugged with one shoulder, somehow appearing comfortable with this situation.

Mike didn't know whether to blush or glare or nod, so he just looked at Harvey and furrowed his brow slightly, trying to figure out where the hell this was all going.

"But Mike refused to tell me about you." he lied again. "I harassed him daily and even tried talking to him in his sleep but he would never answer me, so I gave up. What do you think that means?"

Oliver ran a hand over his forehead where a sheen of nervous sweat had just been. "I don't know or care, but I don't like all these diversions. I'm here to ki…ki…to eliminate the threat. I have no other options." Oliver looked like there was really nothing else in the world he wanted to do less than shoot Mike. Harvey took this as a good sign and continued, "But don't you get it, Oliver? Mike was never going to report you."

As Harvey spoke, Mike noticed he was gradually leaving his spot by the chair and approaching the two other men. They made brief eye contact and Mike flashed a warning look but Harvey didn't acknowledge it. "He was always going to keep quiet, weren't you, Mike?"

Mike gulped and said, "Yes…that night was harmless, I've already forgotten about the whole thing. It'll never cross my mind again, I s-swear."

Harvey was now standing right in front of the younger man, and looking Oliver in the eye. "See? All of this is unnecessary. Now if you put the gun down, we'll all be fine. But if you don't, I'm going to be honest, I can't see an easy way out of this situation for any of us…"

"No, no, you don't get to make threats! I'm the one with a gun here!" He waved it in front of him dangerously, his anger and desperation rising.

Mike, completely blocked from Oliver by Harvey, looked around his messy apartment for something, anything, nearby that might come in handy. All he saw were some socks, an x-box controller, sprawled newspapers, a banana, Scrabble…cursing his un-preparedness, he made a mental note to hide a baseball bat under his couch after this was all over.

Then he felt a vibration in his pocket and realized, with a strange feeling, that whoever had just sent him a text had no idea what was currently going on. It was probably Donna checking up on him, or something equally as trivial. It took a whole twelve seconds for Mike to realize - _his phone was in his frickin' pocket_. As discreetly as possible, he slid it out and dialed 911 without even glancing down. He gave an inaudible sigh of relief; they might just make it out of here safely.

Harvey continued in his soothing tone that even managed to calm Mike down a little bit. "Yes, I see that. You have total control, you're holding all the cards…but you don't want to kill him, Oliver. I read people for a living, and I can tell that you are a good person who just got mixed up with a bad group." Harvey had to bite his tongue to avoid saying what he honestly thought of this douche. As much as he hated it, he understood that affirming and reassuring Oliver were the best shots they had at getting out of there unharmed.

"Yeah, you're right, I am a good person."

"Exactly. You never wanted any of this."

"Right. I - I'm totally innocent." Oliver's face showed a sort of relieved dawning, and he absent-mindedly lowered the gun.

Harvey took a cautious step forward. "Just put the gun on the ground, that's it."

Mike held his breath, unable to see if Oliver had in fact put the gun down. Then his cell phone rang, the intro of Star Wars playing unusually loudly.

It all happened very quickly.

Oliver shoved Harvey to the ground and out of the way, then saw Mike reach for his pocket with a look of horror. Mike scrambled back but Oliver caught hold of his collar and pushed him up against the wall. He placed the gun to the side of the kid's head. "You called the police, didn't you! When was it? Are they on their way? How am I supposed to escape now?!" He had a fearful, despising, hysterical look in his eye, which had Mike speechless and paling quickly.

Harvey had landed face first on a wooden table and crushed it, receiving a nice gash on his forehead in the process. He was dizzy, but he could see the gun against Mike's head and he somehow found the strength to push himself off the ground.

Oliver shouted, "You idiot, you screwed this whole thing up!" at a wide-eyed and shaking Mike. "I was never supposed to get caught!"

The gun cocked. His hand moved from Mike's collar to his neck. The cold metal pressed against Mike's temple and he squeezed his eyes shut. He couldn't move. It was like his arms had been glued against the wall. Why didn't he reach up and hit him? Or duck out of this confined spot and run? Or at least move the gun away…he didn't know. _Please don't kill Harvey too_ was the last thought he had before the gun went off.

_BANG._


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N - Here it is, folks, the final chapter! I am going to miss writing this story, but I have a few more Suits fic prompters up my sleeve…hopefully I will get on those soon! A huge thanks to those who reviewed, and may your Thanksgiving weekends be ever-so pleasant ****J**

_Oliver shouted, "You idiot, you screwed this whole thing up!" at a wide-eyed and shaking Mike. "I was never supposed to get caught!" _

_The gun cocked. His hand moved from Mike's collar to his neck. The cold metal pressed against Mike's temple and he squeezed his eyes shut. He couldn't move. It was like his arms had been glued against the wall. Why didn't he reach up and hit him? Or duck out of this confined spot and run? Or at least move the gun away…he didn't know. _Please don't kill Harvey too _was the last thought he had before the gun went off._

_BANG._

Harvey had staggered over and punched Oliver in the side of the head with surprising force, considering his state. The gunman fell over, firing a round into the wall inches from Mike's head as he went, and landed on the ground with a _thud._ He groaned and Harvey kicked the gun out of his hand. One more fierce punch from the enraged, exhausted and bleeding lawyer sent Oliver into unconsciousness.

Harvey moved away from the body. Taking a moment to catch his breath, he slowly crossed the floor toward Mike.

The kid had slid down the wall to a sitting position on the ground, in silent shock. He was pale and shaking slightly. "Holy sh-shit." He sputtered quietly and ran both hands anxiously through his hair.

Harvey took a seat beside Mike. "…Yeah." was all he could think to say.

Mike replayed the sequence of events at rapid speeds in his mind, and then a few tears of overwhelming relief and shock escaped his eyes. He looked to his left in the hopes that Harvey wouldn't notice, but in the present eerie silence, and maybe because he was expecting it, Harvey noticed.

"Hey, you're okay now." He placed a firm but comforting hand on Mike's shoulder. "That bastard's going to be put away for a long time."

Sirens were approaching in the distance as Mike's shoulders heaved with a small sob. Harvey didn't waste any time before gently bringing the blonde head down to his chest. "Shh, it's alright. The police are coming now and then he'll be gone for good."

Mike nodded and sniffed, and Harvey rubbed small circles on his back. The older man rested his head back against the wall tiredly and said, "This is really gonna make me rethink the whole 'more than one option when you have a gun to your head' speech…"

Mike gave a shaky laugh and sat up, wiping his tears away hastily. He sniffed a final time and looked Harvey directly in the eyes. "Thank you, Harvey. He really was going to shoot me, I could see it in his eyes. …You saved my life." He laid his head against the wall as well and all that could be heard were two sets of heavy breathing and the sirens sounding just outside.

"You're welcome, kid. You owe me one, big time." Both men smiled tiredly and the police showed up at the door, ready to take away the unconscious man that had just caused so much trauma.

_Three days later - Mike's P.O.V._

I knocked three times on the door. "Coming!" a voice called from inside Harvey's suite. Donna opened the door with a glass of wine in her hand and a huge smile on her face. "Come on in, sweetie." I smiled awkwardly at the demeaning title but was indescribably happy to be spending time with Donna and Harvey right now, after three days of (forced) counseling and rest.

Before I had even fully entered the room, Donna suddenly claimed that she really had to pee and ran off. I grinned just because it was so 'Donna'.

Harvey was sitting on the couch and sipping his beer. "Hey kid, how's it going?" He had faint stitches above his eyebrow from when he face-planted into the wooden table at my apartment. I felt a pang of gratitude mixed with guilt, because I didn't sustain any injuries that day. Not physically, at least. Harvey had done all the dirty work.

"Alright, except for those awful counseling sessions. I mean, I appreciate that the firm paid for them and everything but that woman is crazy…"

Harvey nodded in agreement. "Only six more sessions, though, and then we're allowed to leave if we want. Have a seat, we're watching Star Wars Episode IV. The best form of therapy, in my opinion." I smiled and sat down. "Yeah. If Pearson Hardman paid us to do _this, _I'd want a gun to my head every day." I snorted but Harvey looked at me with a curious expression. "That was a joke, by the way." I added lamely. "Too soon?"

"I think so." He raised his eyebrows. I said "my bad" under my breath and he continued. "As crazy as that therapist is, you have to admit that the sessions do help."

He saw right through my lie. "Yeah. …They do."

He gave an understanding nod and changed the atmosphere of our conversation.

"Turns out Oliver got two years for armed assault, breaking and entering and mugging, and he ratted out his partner, Peter, during court, who also got arrested."

I sighed with relief. "That's good news - maybe I'll finally be able to get some sleep now."

Harvey had looked like he was going to say "Me too." but instead said: "Good. You look tired." And I was. It's hard to sleep when your bedroom is beside the room in which your life was recently threatened. I had probably gotten three hours of sleep a night, on average, that week. Harvey tossed me a can of beer and put his legs on the coffee table.

"How's the head, then?" I asked.

He narrowed his eyes, almost as if the question offended him. "Oh please."

I shrugged and decided to drop it, so we watched the show for a while in silence.

Then I was reminded of something that had kept me curious since the incident. "Oh by the way, what was the thing you were going to give me? Before the whole Oliver thing happened?"

Donna flung herself from a hiding place in the hallway. I didn't realize she had been gone so long, and it then became apparent that she had been eavesdropping. She might have even waited in hiding so that Harvey and I could talk and gain closure or something. How very 'Donna' of her.

"You got him a gift?!" She sniffled and a few happy tears fell freely onto her cheeks. Her voice was high and giddy upon witnessing Harvey's gesture.

She hopped on the couch in between us and Harvey said, "Honestly Donna, you need to learn to control your tears. You're the best secretary in the world but emotionally, you're unstable."

Donna pushed him but took a deep, steadying breath anyway. After all tears were shed, she said, "You're right, I am the best secretary in the world. Now go get the gift already!"

Harvey stood up and headed to his bedroom. "It's nothing to get excited about…" When he came back, he was holding a brand new copy of the _Gulag Archipelago _in his hands. "I thought you deserved to finally finish it."

I took the heavy book in my hands and looked back and forth between it and my boss. "This is…wow, I don't think you know how much I appreciate this. Thank you, Harvey. For everything."

"Don't mention it." He smiled as if to say _thank God things are finally back to normal/that was enough stress to last me a lifetime/let's forget everything that happened_ and put a hand on my shoulder briefly before returning to his spot on the couch.

Donna looked at me, then the book, then Harvey and said, "I don't get why you gave him that book, but it was so sw-sweet of you…" And she burst into tears again, rambling on about something to do with PMS.

"Now that we've gotten _that _out of the way," Harvey announced. "let's watch Star Wars."

He hit play, but he was the only one paying attention.

Donna was hiccoughing and focusing on slowing down the waterworks. I had flipped to page 98 in the _Gulag Archipelago _and jumped to the 21st line, where I had left off in grade four.

It was strange to be in a room with two real friends, who weren't doing drugs, having an affair with me, blaming me for something, fighting with me…but it was something I definitely looked forward to getting used to.


End file.
